DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — Sharyland High’s girls tennis program has won 11 consecutive district titles. But the tough got tougher in February when junior transfer Emilia Ramos joined the team from Mexico.
“I wanted to study here. I want to play college tennis,” said Ramos, who left some family behind while joining others in the States.
Ramos wanted opportunity. She’s gotten it, and so far she’s done the most with it.
In one of her first tournaments last week, Ramos won the District 31-5A girls singles championship, joining a plethora of other Rattlers who will be attending the Region-IV tournament in San Antonio on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“When I saw her, I didn’t know what to think,” Sharyland girls coach Yvette Vela said of her initial meeting with Ramos. “It was so late in the year, there’s a lot of paperwork involved, so I thought she better be really good. She had a try-out, I saw her hit two balls and I said, ‘Stop! You need to run over to the counselor’s and you need to get in my class right now!’”
Ramos played tennis tournaments in Mexico since she was 8, competing in state and national meets. Her strength is her winners — “I always look for the lines,” she said — and Vela said her footwork is extraordinary.
Ramos is quick and has good anticipation. That’s not by accident.
“I like to move a lot,” Ramos said. “It’s a big deal in tennis. How you move, and how fast, is what makes the difference. I want to reach the ball faster than the other girl.”
Ramos also has good ball placement, a skill Vela said can play mind games with opponents.
“She puts the ball wherever she wants so easily that it can make an opponent feel like they’re not playing well,” Vela said. “Where she places the ball challenges people. She can take people out of their game.”
Though she is new to the States’ way of tennis, Ramos said she is comfortable. The biggest difference between tennis in Mexico and here is the wind and weather.
It’s windy and hot in the Valley, Ramos said. Not so much in Mexico.
“But it’s just about making the adjustments,” she said. “I’m having a great time.”
Off the court, however, the transition has been harder, but not unexpected.
“You miss home, you miss family, you miss a lot of things,” she said. “But I’m not a girl that gets too attached to things. So it’s hard, but not that hard, you know? You have to get over it.
“I want to play in college for a good team and build a future for myself.”
As talented as she is, Ramos is just a piece to the Rattlers’ puzzle.
At the district meet in Roma last week, Sharyland High won first (Carlos Ramones/Sebastian Arizola) and second (Gester Madhere/Leonardo Armendariz) in boys doubles, first (Fernanda Garcia/Fernanda Armendariz) and second (Araceli Salinas/Carolina Falcon) in girls doubles, and first (Hector Ronquillo/Stephanie Falcon) and second (Jose Ronquillo/Ana Hernandez) in mixed doubles.
Domination, per usual for Rattlers tennis, as the boys and girls claimed district titles.
But what Ramos has done, Vela said, is add some life to the program as a player who goes “above and beyond the tennis court.”
“She’s been a joy. On and off the court,” Vela said. “She’s been a very good refresher for our team, the way she’s fit in and the way she’s played.
“She’s been great.”